These book club themes will breathe new life into your 2022 gatherings.
It’s time to kick off book club! With the new year, bring some new ideas to your gathering. Theming your picks can be a fun way to mix up book club for 2022. Keep your group invested and excited for a successful year!
Cheri Fries shares five theme ideas that will keep your book club fresh and interesting. She also has some recommendations for reads that might be different from your typical picks.
Find more ideas from Cheri on Instagram, @late.night.library.
3 Keys for Book Club Success
Use Monthly Book Club Themes
Themes help keep you diversified in the topics and genres. Try:
“February Favorites” everyone re reads one of their all-time favorites and comes ready to share why they love it so much
“March Movie Month” choose a book that has been made into a movie and after you discuss the book watch the movie together
“September Self Help” choose a motivational book that can enrich everyones lives, these always make great discussions
“Halloween Thriller” choose a mystery/thriller for this spooky months meeting
“Non-Fiction November” There are so many non-fiction books that read like a story and can enlighten and teach.
Try a Discussion Bowl
Write down 5-10 questions about the book and put them in a bowl and each member who read the book draw a question from the bowl then take turns reading their question and sharing their thoughts, this will get some people more involved who might usually tend to keep quiet. Questions might include:
- Who was your favorite character and why?
- Was there a relationship that was especially frustrating or endearing? Why?
- If the author was trying to deliver a message what would it be?
- How was the overall pacing of the story?
- Did you enjoy the imagery? How important was the setting in this book?
- What was your favorite part or scene?
Choose Good Books to Read
Here are some current favorites:
“The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles- a historical fiction/coming of age full of nuggets of wisdom and endearing characters.
“Where The Wind Leads”- a narrative Non-Fiction about Vin Chung (the author) and his family escaping S Vietnam by boat and their struggles as refugees in America.
“The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune- A Fantasy Fiction about the most serious man who works for the Department of Magical Youth and an orphanage full of magical, unique and endearing children.
“Once There Were Wolves” by Charlotte McConaghy- A Literary Fiction/Mystery about a woman who’s team is trying to reacquaint wolves into the Scottish Highlands, plus a murder mystery and a romance!
“Where The Lost Wander” by Amy Harmon (a UT based author)- A Historical Fiction/Romance about a family crossing the plains on the Oregon Trail and the hardships they encounter
“Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney- a Psychological Thriller that is creepy and atmospheric
“Peace Like A River” by Leif Enger- one of my all-time favorites that I would re-read for “February Favorites” a coming of age story full of faith and heart.
Cheri Fries is a voracious reader and book club enthusiast by night and mother to 3 active kids and hair stylist by day. If you find yourself seated in her salon chair in downtown Salt Lake, which she has stood behind for 20 years, you will most likely end up in a discussion about the books she has recently read and her thoughts on each one. You can usually find her in her Davis County home with her nose in a book satisfying her love of stories. You can follow along her reading journey on Instagram @late.night.library.
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